Keshad Johnson, brother, will share NBA draft day triumph after childhood tragedy

Keshad Johnson calls it “the biggest story of my life.”

It was traumatic. Life-altering. The day: Nov. 6, 2011, his brother Kenny was shot 10 times.

“It’s an overall blessing, a miracle, he’s still here on this earth being able to walk,” Keshad said.

Kenny’s dreams of being a professional basketball player ended that nightmarish day. In a twisted way, it was also the day Keshad’s life changed.

Thirteen years later, he’s on the doorstep of the dream the brothers have shared. The 6-foot-6 Keshad, a dogged defender who profiles as a 3-and-D wing at the next level, will soon be a pro. He’s projected to be taken in this week’s NBA draft, anywhere from late in the first round to the middle of the second.

Kenny was a gifted athlete, a star basketball and football player. Keshad, four years younger, followed him everywhere. He referred to his older brother as “the truth … ready to be that guy to come out of Oakland.”

Then, tragedy struck. It was a case of mistaken identity. Kenny, 14 years old at the time, was headed home in the dangerous Lower Bottoms section of West Oakland, Calif., after a sleepover at a friend’s house. An SUV pulled up and two men got out. They unloaded on him. One of the bullets grazed his spine.

Doctors told him he would never be able to walk again, though he has overcome those odds. Kenny is now able to walk with forearm crutches and can drive a car with the aid of hand controls.

Keshad was shaken. When the family heard Kenny was shot, they rushed to him. Keshad saw his older brother bleeding on the pavement, right outside his elementary school. Initially, he didn’t even know if Kenny would survive. It felt like it took the ambulance forever to arrive.

It forced him to grow up. He told himself if his older brother couldn’t make it in basketball, he would do it for him and the family.

“It gave me more courage, it gave me more strength,” said Keshad, the first member of his family to graduate college. “I knew I had to be strong for something more than myself after that.”

A few weeks later, Kenny was still in the hospital. His middle school team had a game. As a way to lift the family’s spirits, the coaches agreed to put 10-year-old Keshad in the game right before halftime and gave him Kenny’s jersey. Keshad hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

“One of the players said, ‘Just follow me,’ and set a screen. I took the shot, and it was all net,” recalled Keshad, who recently has worked out for 14 teams, including the Knicks and Pacers. “Everything was in slow motion, like a real movie. That was my welcome-to-basketball moment. From then on, I just took basketball seriously and ran with it.”

Keshad began to grow a few years later and developed into a three-star prospect. He attended San Diego State, helping the Aztecs reach the Final Four in 2023. This past season, he transferred to Arizona, where he posted career highs of 11.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 38.7 percent shooting from 3-point range. He wore his brother’s old number, 16.

“His day-to-day professionalism, and his day-to-day attitude and character are off the charts, and part of the reason for that is he knows he’s representing something bigger than himself,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said.

The brothers remained close, gaining inspiration from one another. Kenny saw how hard his younger brother was working, and it pushed him. He joined a wheelchair basketball team, the Golden State Road Warriors, a few years ago. On the same weekend of the 2023 Final Four, Kenny’s team won the National Wheelchair Basketball Association championship.

Keshad was likewise motivated by his older brother making the most of his situation and was determined to make it for both of them. Just as Keshad had to wait his turn at San Diego State — he didn’t start until his junior year — Kenny just recently broke into the rotation with the Road Warriors.

“It’s symbiotic,” close family friend Howard Nathel said.

Nathel has never sensed a hint of jealousy from Kenny, that his younger brother is living the life he once imagined for himself. Kenny proudly said he has never missed one of his younger brother’s games on television, frequently throwing watch parties with family and friends.

In fact, when Kenny was asked if he thinks about that tragic day and how his life could’ve been different, he talks about how he could’ve helped Keshad more if not for his health issues. Not that he could have been the one to play in the Final Four, the one about to have his name called in the NBA draft.

“Everything is just lining up perfectly for us. It’s destined for our family. We’ve been through so much,” said Kenny, who now works as an after-school teacher at a local elementary school. “Oh man, I’m so happy for my brother. It’s nothing that I would take back that happened in my life or his life. I’m so glad that he’s been able to live his dream and travel and go places he never would’ve thought he could’ve gone before. I’m living this experience through him.”

Keshad uses the word “blessed” to describe his life. He feels blessed to be so close to being a pro. Blessed that his brother has not only survived the shooting, but is now walking again.

This week will be extra special for the brothers. Expect them to shed tears together. A party is planned for both days of the draft.

“When we see K. Johnson, drafted by whatever the team is,” Keshad said, “there’s going to be a lot of emotions going on.”